Load balancing inter-frequency measurement activities for dual network link scenarios

ABSTRACT

In a dual network link scenario, a wireless network may provide a user equipment (UE) with a measurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects during an off duration of a discontinuous reception (DRX) cycle configured on a first network link. The UE may assign the inter-frequency measurement objects to a second network link if the second network link has an always-on configuration. Alternatively, if the second network link has a DRX configuration, the UE may perform some inter-frequency measurement activities on the first network link and assign some inter-frequency measurement objects to unoccupied gap occasions in the off duration for the DRX cycle configured on the second network link. In this way, the UE may save power by spending more time in a low power state, and mobility performance for the UE may be improved by increasing the efficiency and reliability of inter-frequency measurement activities.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.17/247,566, entitled “LOAD BALANCING INTER-FREQUENCY MEASUREMENTACTIVITIES FOR DUAL NETWORK LINK SCENARIOS,” filed Dec. 16, 2020, whichis incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

Aspects of the present disclosure generally relate to wirelesscommunication and to techniques and apparatuses for load balancinginter-frequency measurement activities for dual network link scenarios.

BACKGROUND

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustelecommunication services such as telephony, video, data, messaging,and broadcasts. Typical wireless communication systems may employmultiple-access technologies capable of supporting communication withmultiple users by sharing available system resources (e.g., bandwidth,transmit power, or the like). Examples of such multiple-accesstechnologies include code division multiple access (CDMA) systems, timedivision multiple access (TDMA) systems, frequency-division multipleaccess (FDMA) systems, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access(OFDMA) systems, single-carrier frequency-division multiple access(SC-FDMA) systems, time division synchronous code division multipleaccess (TD-SCDMA) systems, and Long Term Evolution (LTE).LTE/LTE-Advanced is a set of enhancements to the Universal MobileTelecommunications System (UMTS) mobile standard promulgated by theThird Generation Partnership Project (3GPP).

A wireless network may include a number of base stations (BSs) that cansupport communication for a number of user equipment (UEs). A UE maycommunicate with a BS via the downlink and uplink. The downlink (orforward link) refers to the communication link from the BS to the UE,and the uplink (or reverse link) refers to the communication link fromthe UE to the BS. As will be described in more detail herein, a BS maybe referred to as a Node B, a gNB, an access point (AP), a radio head, atransmit receive point (TRP), a 5G BS, a 5G Node B, or the like.

The above multiple access technologies have been adopted in varioustelecommunication standards to provide a common protocol that enablesdifferent wireless communication devices to communicate on a municipal,national, regional, and even global level. 5G, which may also bereferred to as New Radio (NR), is a set of enhancements to the LTEmobile standard promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project(3GPP). 5G is designed to better support mobile broadband Internetaccess by improving spectral efficiency, lowering costs, improvingservices, making use of new spectrum, and better integrating with otheropen standards using OFDM with a cyclic prefix (CP) (CP-OFDM) on thedownlink (DL), using CP-OFDM and/or SC-FDM (e.g., also known as discreteFourier transform spread OFDM (DFT-s-OFDM)) on the uplink (UL), as wellas supporting beamforming, multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennatechnology, and carrier aggregation. However, as the demand for mobilebroadband access continues to increase, there exists a need for furtherimprovements in LTE and 5G technologies. Preferably, these improvementsshould be applicable to other multiple access technologies and thetelecommunication standards that employ these technologies.

SUMMARY

In some cases, a user equipment (UE) may be configured to communicate onone or more wireless networks using different network links. Forexample, a UE may be configured to communicate with one or more cells ina master cell group using a first network link and with one or morecells in a secondary cell group using a second network link in a dualconnectivity scenario. Additionally, or alternatively, a UE may beconfigured to communicate with one or more cells associated with a firstsubscriber identity module (SIM) using a first network link and with oneor more cells associated with a second SIM using a second network linkin a multi-SIM scenario. In some cases, the first network link and thesecond network link may be configured independently. For example, one ormore network links may be associated with a discontinuous reception(DRX) configuration that causes the UE to cycle between an on durationin which the UE monitors or otherwise receives downlink signals and anoff duration in which the UE may operate one or more receptioncomponents in a low power (e.g., sleep) state. Additionally, oralternatively, the UE may perform one or more other radio-relatedactivities during the off duration of the DRX cycle, such as monitoringone or more frequencies, retuning, performing a search process, and/orperforming an implementation-specific activity, among other examples.

However, a wireless network may provide the UE with a measurementconfiguration indicating one or more inter-frequency measurement objectson a network link that are scheduled during the off duration of a DRXcycle configured on the network link. In such cases, when a measurementconfiguration indicates one or more inter-frequency measurement objectsthat are scheduled on a network link during the off duration of a DRXcycle configured on the network link, the measurement configuration mayreduce the potential power savings that the UE may achieve during theoff duration of the DRX cycle. For example, the UE has to utilize one ormore gap occasions during the off duration of the DRX cycle in order toperform the configured inter-frequency measurement activities, whichreduces a proportion of the off duration of the DRX cycle during whichthe UE can operate in the low power state. Furthermore, because thefirst network link and the second network link may be configuredindependently in a dual network link scenario (e.g., a dual connectivityand/or multi-SIM scenario), the second network link may have one or moreunoccupied gap occasions available to perform measurement activities,which could potentially be wasted in cases where there are no or veryfew measurement objects configured on the second network link.

Some aspects described herein relate to techniques and apparatuses toload balance inter-frequency measurement activities for dual networklink scenarios. For example, when a wireless network provides a UE witha measurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects that are scheduled during an off duration of a DRXcycle configured on a first network link and the UE has one or moreunoccupied gap occasions on a second network link, the UE may assign asubset of the inter-frequency measurement objects to the unoccupied gapoccasions on the second network link. For example, the UE may assign allof the inter-frequency measurement objects to the second network link ifthe second network link has an always-on configuration. In this way, theUE may perform inter-frequency measurement activities using theunoccupied gap occasions that would otherwise be wasted on the secondnetwork link, and may operate one or more components associated with thefirst network link in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle(e.g., by operating in a sleep state, monitoring one or morefrequencies, retuning, performing a search process, and/or performing animplementation-specific activity) during the entire off duration of theDRX cycle configured on the first network link. Alternatively, if thesecond network link has a DRX configuration, the UE may assign someinter-frequency measurement objects to unoccupied gap occasions in anearlier portion of the off duration for the DRX cycle configured on thesecond network link. In this way, the UE may perform inter-frequencymeasurement activities on the first network link and the second networklink at the same time (e.g., during overlapping portions of the DRX offdurations configured on the first and second network links) to extend acommon sleep duration across the first and second network links. As aresult, the UE may operate one or more components associated with thefirst network link, one or more components associated with the secondnetwork link, and one or more common components shared by the firstnetwork link and the second network link in a sleep state during thecommon sleep duration. In this way, the UE may save power by spendingmore time in a low power state, and mobility performance for the UE maybe improved by increasing the efficiency and reliability ofinter-frequency measurement activities.

In some aspects, a method of wireless communication performed by a UEincludes receiving, from a base station, a measurement configurationindicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects on a firstnetwork link associated with a DRX cycle; assigning, to a second networklink, one or more inter-frequency measurement objects, among themultiple inter-frequency measurement objects, that are scheduled duringan off duration of the DRX cycle; and operating one or more componentsassociated with the first network link in accordance with the offduration of the DRX cycle during a portion of the off duration of theDRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequency measurement objectsare scheduled.

In some aspects, a UE for wireless communication includes a memory andone or more processors operatively coupled to the memory, the memory andthe one or more processors configured to: receive, from a base station,a measurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects on a first network link associated with a DRX cycle;assign, to a second network link, one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects, among the multiple inter-frequency measurementobjects, that are scheduled during an off duration of the DRX cycle; andoperate one or more components associated with the first network link inaccordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle during a portion ofthe off duration of the DRX cycle in which the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled.

In some aspects, a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a setof instructions for wireless communication includes one or moreinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors of a UE,cause the UE to: receive, from a base station, a measurementconfiguration indicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects ona first network link associated with a DRX cycle; assign, to a secondnetwork link, one or more inter-frequency measurement objects, among themultiple inter-frequency measurement objects, that are scheduled duringan off duration of the DRX cycle; and operate one or more componentsassociated with the first network link in accordance with the offduration of the DRX cycle during a portion of the off duration of theDRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequency measurement objectsare scheduled.

In some aspects, an apparatus for wireless communication includes meansfor receiving, from a base station, a measurement configurationindicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects on a firstnetwork link associated with a DRX cycle; means for assigning, to asecond network link, one or more inter-frequency measurement objects,among the multiple inter-frequency measurement objects, that arescheduled during an off duration of the DRX cycle; and means foroperating one or more components associated with the first network linkin accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle during a portion ofthe off duration of the DRX cycle in which the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled.

Aspects generally include a method, apparatus, system, computer programproduct, non-transitory computer-readable medium, user equipment, basestation, wireless communication device, and/or processing system assubstantially described with reference to and as illustrated by thedrawings and specification.

The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technicaladvantages of examples according to the disclosure in order that thedetailed description that follows may be better understood. Additionalfeatures and advantages will be described hereinafter. The conceptionand specific examples disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis formodifying or designing other structures for carrying out the samepurposes of the present disclosure. Such equivalent constructions do notdepart from the scope of the appended claims. Characteristics of theconcepts disclosed herein, both their organization and method ofoperation, together with associated advantages will be better understoodfrom the following description when considered in connection with theaccompanying figures. Each of the figures is provided for the purposesof illustration and description, and not as a definition of the limitsof the claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is diagram illustrating an example of a wireless network.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of a base station incommunication with a user equipment (UE) in a wireless network.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of dual connectivity.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a multi-subscriberidentity module UE.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a discontinuous receptionconfiguration.

FIGS. 6A-6B are diagrams illustrating an example associated with loadbalancing inter-frequency measurement activities for a dual network linkscenario.

FIGS. 7A-7B are diagrams illustrating an example associated with loadbalancing inter-frequency measurement activities for a dual network linkscenario.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method of wireless communication.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example apparatus for wirelesscommunication.

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hardwareimplementation for an apparatus employing a processing system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appendeddrawings is intended as a description of various configurations and isnot intended to represent the configurations in which the conceptsdescribed herein may be practiced. The detailed description includesspecific details for the purposes of providing a thorough understandingof various concepts. However, it will be apparent to those skilled inthe art that these concepts may be practiced without these specificdetails. In some instances, well-known structures and components areshown in block diagram form in order to avoid obscuring such concepts.

Several aspects of telecommunication systems will now be presented withreference to various apparatus and methods. These apparatus and methodswill be described in the following detailed description and illustratedin the accompanying drawings by various blocks, modules, components,circuits, steps, processes, algorithms, or the like (collectivelyreferred to as “elements”). These elements may be implemented usingelectronic hardware, computer software, or any combination thereof.Whether such elements are implemented as hardware or software dependsupon the particular application and design constraints imposed on theoverall system.

By way of example, an element, or any portion of an element, or anycombination of elements may be implemented with a “processing system”that includes one or more processors. Examples of processors includemicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs),field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), programmable logic devices(PLDs), state machines, gated logic, discrete hardware circuits, andother suitable hardware configured to perform the various functionalitydescribed throughout this disclosure. One or more processors in theprocessing system may execute software. Software shall be construedbroadly to mean instructions, instruction sets, code, code segments,program code, programs, subprograms, software modules, applications,software applications, software packages, routines, subroutines,objects, executables, threads of execution, procedures, functions, orthe like, whether referred to as software, firmware, middleware,microcode, hardware description language, or otherwise.

Accordingly, in one or more example embodiments, the functions describedmay be implemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combinationthereof. If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on orencoded as one or more instructions or code on a computer-readablemedium. Computer-readable media includes computer storage media. Storagemedia may be any available media that can be accessed by a computer. Byway of example, and not limitation, such computer-readable media caninclude a random-access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), anelectrically erasable programmable ROM (EEPROM), compact disk ROM(CD-ROM) or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, combinations of the aforementioned types ofcomputer-readable media, or any other medium that can be used to storecomputer executable code in the form of instructions or data structuresthat can be accessed by a computer.

It should be noted that while aspects may be described herein usingterminology commonly associated with a 5G or NR radio access technology(RAT), aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other RATs,such as a 3G RAT, a 4G RAT, and/or a RAT subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a wireless network 100 in which aspectsof the present disclosure may be practiced. The wireless network 100 maybe or may include elements of a 5G (NR) network and/or an LTE network,among other examples. The wireless network 100 may include a number ofbase stations 110 (shown as BS 110 a, BS 110 b, BS 110 c, and BS 110 d)and other network entities. A base station (BS) is an entity thatcommunicates with user equipment (UEs) and may also be referred to as a5G BS, a Node B, a gNB, a 5G NB, an access point, a transmit receivepoint (TRP), or the like. Each BS may provide communication coverage fora particular geographic area. In 3GPP, the term “cell” can refer to acoverage area of a BS and/or a BS subsystem serving this coverage area,depending on the context in which the term is used.

ABS may provide communication coverage for a macro cell, a pico cell, afemto cell, and/or another type of cell. A macro cell may cover arelatively large geographic area (e.g., several kilometers in radius)and may allow unrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. Apico cell may cover a relatively small geographic area and may allowunrestricted access by UEs with service subscription. A femto cell maycover a relatively small geographic area (e.g., a home) and may allowrestricted access by UEs having association with the femto cell (e.g.,UEs in a closed subscriber group (CSG)). A BS for a macro cell may bereferred to as a macro BS. A BS for a pico cell may be referred to as apico BS. A BS for a femto cell may be referred to as a femto BS or ahome BS. In the example shown in FIG. 1 , a BS 110 a may be a macro BSfor a macro cell 102 a, a BS 110 b may be a pico BS for a pico cell 102b, and a BS 110 c may be a femto BS for a femto cell 102 c. ABS maysupport one or multiple (e.g., three) cells. The terms “eNB”, “basestation”, “5G BS”, “gNB”, “TRP”, “AP”, “node B”, “5G NB”, and “cell” maybe used interchangeably herein.

In some examples, a cell may not necessarily be stationary, and thegeographic area of the cell may move according to the location of amobile BS. In some examples, the BSs may be interconnected to oneanother and/or to one or more other BSs or network nodes (not shown) inthe wireless network 100 through various types of backhaul interfaces,such as a direct physical connection or a virtual network, using anysuitable transport network.

Wireless network 100 may also include relay stations. A relay station isan entity that can receive a transmission of data from an upstreamstation (e.g., a BS or a UE) and send a transmission of the data to adownstream station (e.g., a UE or a BS). A relay station may also be aUE that can relay transmissions for other UEs. In the example shown inFIG. 1 , a relay BS 110 d may communicate with macro BS 110 a and a UE120 d in order to facilitate communication between BS 110 a and UE 120d. A relay BS may also be referred to as a relay station, a relay basestation, a relay, or the like.

Wireless network 100 may be a heterogeneous network that includes BSs ofdifferent types, such as macro BSs, pico BSs, femto BSs, relay BSs, orthe like. These different types of BSs may have different transmit powerlevels, different coverage areas, and different impacts on interferencein wireless network 100. For example, macro BSs may have a high transmitpower level (e.g., 5 to 40 watts) whereas pico BSs, femto BSs, and relayBSs may have lower transmit power levels (e.g., 0.1 to 2 watts).

A network controller 130 may couple to a set of BSs and may providecoordination and control for these BSs. Network controller 130 maycommunicate with the BSs via a backhaul. The BSs may also communicatewith one another, directly or indirectly, via a wireless or wirelinebackhaul.

UEs 120 (e.g., 120 a, 120 b, 120 c) may be dispersed throughout wirelessnetwork 100, and each UE may be stationary or mobile. A UE may also bereferred to as an access terminal, a terminal, a mobile station, asubscriber unit, a station, etc. A UE may be a cellular phone (e.g., asmart phone), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wireless modem, awireless communication device, a handheld device, a laptop computer, acordless phone, a wireless local loop (WLL) station, a tablet, a camera,a gaming device, a netbook, a smartbook, an ultrabook, a medical deviceor equipment, biometric sensors/devices, wearable devices (smartwatches, smart clothing, smart glasses, smart wrist bands, smart jewelry(e.g., smart ring, smart bracelet)), an entertainment device (e.g., amusic or video device, or a satellite radio), a vehicular component orsensor, smart meters/sensors, industrial manufacturing equipment, aglobal positioning system device, or any other suitable device that isconfigured to communicate via a wireless or wired medium.

Some UEs may be considered machine-type communication (MTC) or evolvedor enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC) UEs. MTC and eMTC UEsinclude, for example, robots, drones, remote devices, sensors, meters,monitors, location tags, etc., that may communicate with a base station,another device (e.g., remote device), or some other entity. A wirelessnode may provide, for example, connectivity for or to a network (e.g., awide area network such as Internet or a cellular network) via a wired orwireless communication link. Some UEs may be consideredInternet-of-Things (IoT) devices, and/or may be implemented as NB-IoT(narrowband internet of things) devices. Some UEs may be considered aCustomer Premises Equipment (CPE). UE 120 may be included inside ahousing that houses components of UE 120, such as processor components,memory components, or the like.

In general, any number of wireless networks may be deployed in a givengeographic area. Each wireless network may support a particular RAT andmay operate on one or more frequencies. A RAT may also be referred to asa radio technology, an air interface, or the like. A frequency may alsobe referred to as a carrier, a frequency channel, or the like. Eachfrequency may support a single RAT in a given geographic area in orderto avoid interference between wireless networks of different RATs. Insome cases, 5G RAT networks may be deployed.

In some aspects, two or more UEs 120 (e.g., shown as UE 120 a and UE 120e) may communicate directly using one or more sidelink channels (e.g.,without using a base station 110 as an intermediary to communicate withone another). For example, the UEs 120 may communicate usingpeer-to-peer (P2P) communications, device-to-device (D2D)communications, a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) protocol (e.g., which mayinclude a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) protocol or avehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) protocol), and/or a mesh network. Inthis case, the UE 120 may perform scheduling operations, resourceselection operations, and/or other operations described elsewhere hereinas being performed by the base station 110.

Devices of wireless network 100 may communicate using theelectromagnetic spectrum, which may be subdivided based on frequency orwavelength into various classes, bands, channels, or the like. Forexample, devices of wireless network 100 may communicate using anoperating band having a first frequency range (FR1), which may span from410 MHz to 7.125 GHz, and/or may communicate using an operating bandhaving a second frequency range (FR2), which may span from 24.25 GHz to52.6 GHz. The frequencies between FR1 and FR2 are sometimes referred toas mid-band frequencies. Although a portion of FR1 is greater than 6GHz, FR1 is often referred to as a “sub-6 GHz” band. Similarly, FR2 isoften referred to as a “millimeter wave” band despite being differentfrom the extremely high frequency (EHF) band (30 GHz-300 GHz) which isidentified by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) as a“millimeter wave” band. Thus, unless specifically stated otherwise, itshould be understood that the term “sub-6 GHz” or the like, if usedherein, may broadly represent frequencies less than 6 GHz, frequencieswithin FR1, and/or mid-band frequencies (e.g., greater than 7.125 GHz).Similarly, unless specifically stated otherwise, it should be understoodthat the term “millimeter wave” or the like, if used herein, may broadlyrepresent frequencies within the EHF band, frequencies within FR2,and/or mid-band frequencies (e.g., less than 24.25 GHz). It iscontemplated that the frequencies included in FR1 and FR2 may bemodified, and techniques described herein are applicable to thosemodified frequency ranges.

In some aspects, one or more UEs 120 in wireless network 100 may beconfigured to communicate using multiple network links (e.g., in a dualand/or multi-network link scenario). For example, in a dual connectivityscenario, a UE 120 may be configured communicate with one or more cellsin a master cell group using a first network link and may be furtherconfigured to communicate with one or more cells in a secondary cellgroup using a second network link. Additionally, or alternatively, in amulti-SIM scenario, a UE may be configured to communicate with one ormore cells associated with a first subscriber identity module (SIM)using a first network link and with one or more cells associated with asecond SIM using a second network link. In some aspects, the multiplenetwork links may be configured independently from one another. Forexample, in some aspects, one or more network links that a UE 120 usesto communicate in wireless network 100 may be associated with adiscontinuous reception (DRX) configuration in which the UE 120 cyclesbetween an on duration (e.g., an active state during which the UEmonitors or otherwise receives downlink signals) and an off duration(e.g., an inactive or sleep state during which the UE may operate one ormore reception components in a low power state or perform otherradio-related activities while there are limited monitoring obligationsduring the DRX off duration).

In some aspects, a UE 120 that communicates using multiple network links(e.g., in a dual connectivity and/or multi-SIM scenario) may beconfigured to perform inter-frequency measurement activities and reportmeasurement results to a base station 110 (e.g., to improve mobilityperformance). However, in some cases, the inter-frequency measurementactivities may be scheduled on a particular network link during the offduration of a DRX cycle associated with the network link. In this case,the UE 120 may be unable to operate reception components associated withthe network link in the low power state and thereby realize the powersaving benefits of the off duration of the DRX cycle because the UE 120may need to open one or more gaps on the network link to perform theconfigured inter-frequency measurement activities. Accordingly, toreduce power consumption and/or improve mobility, a UE 120 may loadbalance inter-frequency measurement activities in a dual network linkscenario where one or more inter-frequency measurement objects areconfigured on a first network link during the off duration of a DRXcycle and one or more unoccupied gap occasions are available on a secondnetwork link. For example, the UE 120 may assign all the inter-frequencymeasurement objects to the second network link if the second networklink has an always-on configuration. Alternatively, if the secondnetwork link has a DRX configuration, the UE 120 may perform someinter-frequency measurement activities on the first network link andassign some inter-frequency measurement objects to unoccupied gapoccasions in the off duration for the DRX cycle configured on the secondnetwork link.

In this way, the UE 120 may extend the time that reception componentsassociated with at least the first network link spend in the low powerstate. Furthermore, distributing inter-frequency measurement activitiesamong the first network link and the second network link may extend acommon sleep duration across the first network link and the secondnetwork link, which may increase the time that the UE 120 can operateall reception components in a low power state (including componentsassociated with the first network link, components associated with thesecond network link, and common components shared by the first networklink and the second network link).

As indicated above, FIG. 1 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 1 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example 200 of a base station 110 incommunication with a UE 120 in a wireless network 100. Base station 110may be equipped with T antennas 234 a through 234 t, and UE 120 may beequipped with R antennas 252 a through 252 r, where in general T≥1 andR≥1.

At base station 110, a transmit processor 220 may receive data from adata source 212 for one or more UEs, may select a modulation and codingscheme (MCS) for each UE based at least in part on channel qualityindicators (CQIs) received from the UE, process (e.g., encode andmodulate) the data for each UE based at least in part on the MCSselected for the UE, and provide data symbols for all UEs. Transmitprocessor 220 may also process system information (e.g., for semi-staticresource partitioning information (SRPI)) and control information (e.g.,CQI requests, grants, and/or upper layer signaling) and provide overheadsymbols and control symbols. Transmit processor 220 may also generatereference symbols for reference signals (e.g., a cell-specific referencesignal (CRS), a phase tracking reference signal (PTRS), and/or ademodulation reference signal (DMRS)) and synchronization signals (e.g.,a primary synchronization signal (PSS) or a secondary synchronizationsignal (SSS)). A transmit (TX) multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO)processor 230 may perform spatial processing (e.g., precoding) on thedata symbols, the control symbols, the overhead symbols, and/or thereference symbols, if applicable, and may provide T output symbolstreams to T modulators (MODs) 232 a through 232 t. Each modulator 232may process a respective output symbol stream (e.g., for OFDM) to obtainan output sample stream. Each modulator 232 may further process (e.g.,convert to analog, amplify, filter, and upconvert) the output samplestream to obtain a downlink signal. T downlink signals from modulators232 a through 232 t may be transmitted via T antennas 234 a through 234t, respectively.

At UE 120, antennas 252 a through 252 r may receive the downlink signalsfrom base station 110 and/or other base stations and may providereceived signals to demodulators (DEMODs) 254 a through 254 r,respectively. Each demodulator 254 may condition (e.g., filter, amplify,downconvert, and digitize) a received signal to obtain input samples.Each demodulator 254 may further process the input samples (e.g., forOFDM) to obtain received symbols. A MIMO detector 256 may obtainreceived symbols from all R demodulators 254 a through 254 r, performMIMO detection on the received symbols if applicable, and providedetected symbols. A receive (RX) processor 258 may process (e.g.,demodulate and decode) the detected symbols, provide decoded data for UE120 to a data sink 260, and provide decoded control information andsystem information to a controller/processor 280. The term“controller/processor” may refer to one or more controllers, one or moreprocessors, or a combination thereof. A channel processor may determinea reference signal received power (RSRP) parameter, a received signalstrength indicator (RSSI) parameter, a reference signal received quality(RSRQ) parameter, and/or a channel quality indicator (CQI) parameter,among other examples. In some aspects, one or more components of UE 120may be included in a housing 284.

Network controller 130 may include communication unit 294,controller/processor 290, and memory 292. Network controller 130 mayinclude, for example, one or more devices in a core network. Networkcontroller 130 may communicate with base station 110 via communicationunit 294.

Antennas (e.g., antennas 234 a through 234 t and/or antennas 252 athrough 252 r) may include, or may be included within, one or moreantenna panels, antenna groups, sets of antenna elements, and/or antennaarrays, among other examples. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a setof antenna elements, and/or an antenna array may include one or moreantenna elements. An antenna panel, an antenna group, a set of antennaelements, and/or an antenna array may include a set of coplanar antennaelements and/or a set of non-coplanar antenna elements. An antennapanel, an antenna group, a set of antenna elements, and/or an antennaarray may include antenna elements within a single housing and/orantenna elements within multiple housings. An antenna panel, an antennagroup, a set of antenna elements, and/or an antenna array may includeone or more antenna elements coupled to one or more transmission and/orreception components, such as one or more components of FIG. 2 .

On the uplink, at UE 120, a transmit processor 264 may receive andprocess data from a data source 262 and control information (e.g., forreports that include RSRP, RSSI, RSRQ, and/or CQI) fromcontroller/processor 280. Transmit processor 264 may also generatereference symbols for one or more reference signals. The symbols fromtransmit processor 264 may be precoded by a TX MIMO processor 266 ifapplicable, further processed by modulators 254 a through 254 r (e.g.,for DFT-s-OFDM or CP-OFDM), and transmitted to base station 110. In someaspects, a modulator and a demodulator (e.g., MOD/DEMOD 254) of the UE120 may be included in a modem of the UE 120. In some aspects, the UE120 includes a transceiver. The transceiver may include any combinationof antenna(s) 252, modulators and/or demodulators 254, MIMO detector256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, and/or TX MIMOprocessor 266. The transceiver may be used by a processor (e.g.,controller/processor 280) and memory 282 to perform aspects of any ofthe methods described herein.

At base station 110, the uplink signals from UE 120 and other UEs may bereceived by antennas 234, processed by demodulators 232, detected by aMIMO detector 236 if applicable, and further processed by a receiveprocessor 238 to obtain decoded data and control information sent by UE120. Receive processor 238 may provide the decoded data to a data sink239 and the decoded control information to controller/processor 240.Base station 110 may include communication unit 244 and communicate tonetwork controller 130 via communication unit 244. Base station 110 mayinclude a scheduler 246 to schedule UEs 120 for downlink and/or uplinkcommunications. In some aspects, a modulator and a demodulator (e.g.,MOD/DEMOD 232) of the base station 110 may be included in a modem of thebase station 110. In some aspects, the base station 110 includes atransceiver. The transceiver may include any combination of antenna(s)234, modulators and/or demodulators 232, MIMO detector 236, receiveprocessor 238, transmit processor 220, and/or TX MIMO processor 230. Thetransceiver may be used by a processor (e.g., controller/processor 240)and memory 242 to perform aspects of any of the methods describedherein. A scheduler 246 may schedule UEs for data transmission on thedownlink and/or uplink.

Controller/processor 240 of base station 110, controller/processor 280of UE 120, and/or any other component(s) of FIG. 2 may perform one ormore techniques associated with load balancing inter-frequencymeasurement activities for dual network link scenarios, as described inmore detail elsewhere herein. For example, controller/processor 240 ofbase station 110, controller/processor 280 of UE 120, and/or any othercomponent(s) of FIG. 2 may perform or direct operations of, for example,method 800 of FIG. 8 and/or other processes as described herein.Memories 242 and 282 may store data and program codes for BS 110 and UE120, respectively. In some aspects, memory 242 and/or memory 282 mayinclude a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing one or moreinstructions (e.g., code and/or program code) for wirelesscommunication. For example, the one or more instructions, when executed(e.g., directly, or after compiling, converting, and/or interpreting) byone or more processors of the base station 110 and/or the UE 120, maycause the one or more processors, the UE 120, and/or the base station110 to perform or direct operations of, for example, method 800 of FIG.8 and/or other processes as described herein. In some aspects, executinginstructions may include running the instructions, converting theinstructions, compiling the instructions, and/or interpreting theinstructions, among other examples.

In some aspects, the UE 120 includes means for receiving, from a basestation, a measurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects on a first network link associated with a DRX cycle;means for assigning, to a second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects, among the multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects, that are scheduled during an off duration of theDRX cycle; and/or means for operating one or more components associatedwith the first network link in accordance with the off duration of theDRX cycle during a portion of the off duration of the DRX cycle in whichthe one or more inter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled. Themeans for the UE 120 to perform operations described herein may include,for example, one or more of antenna 252, demodulator 254, MIMO detector256, receive processor 258, transmit processor 264, TX MIMO processor266, modulator 254, controller/processor 280, or memory 282.

In some aspects, the UE 120 includes means for operating one or morecommon components that are shared by the first network link and thesecond network link in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycleduring the portion of the off duration of the DRX cycle associated withthe first network link that overlaps with the off duration of the DRXcycle associated with the second network link.

In some aspects, the UE 120 includes means for performing, using one ormore components associated with the second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities for the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network link;and/or means for transmitting, to the base station via the first networklink, a measurement report including one or more inter-frequencymeasurements that are based at least in part on the one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities performed using the one or morecomponents associated with the second network link.

As indicated above, FIG. 2 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 2 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example 300 of dual connectivity, inaccordance with various aspects of the present disclosure. The exampleshown in FIG. 3 is for an Evolved Universal Mobile TelecommunicationsSystem Terrestrial Radio Access (E-UTRA)-NR dual connectivity (ENDC)mode. In the ENDC mode, a UE 120 communicates using an LTE RAT on amaster cell group (MCG), and the UE 120 communicates using an NR RAT ona secondary cell group (SCG). However, aspects described herein mayapply to any suitable dual connectivity mode. For example, aspectsdescribed herein may apply to an ENDC mode (e.g., where the MCG isassociated with an LTE RAT and the SCG is associated with an NR RAT), anNR-E-UTRA dual connectivity (NEDC) mode (e.g., where the MCG isassociated with an NR RAT and the SCG is associated with an LTE RAT), anNR dual connectivity (NRDC) mode (e.g., where the MCG is associated withan NR RAT and the SCG is also associated with the NR RAT), or anotherdual connectivity mode (e.g., where the MCG is associated with a firstRAT and the SCG is associated with one of the first RAT or a secondRAT). The ENDC mode is sometimes referred to as an NR or 5Gnon-standalone (NSA) mode. Thus, as used herein, a dual connectivitymode may refer to an ENDC mode, a NEDC mode, an NRDC mode, and/oranother type of dual connectivity mode in which the UE 120 is configuredto communicate on a first network link and a second network link thatare associated with different cell groups (e.g., an MCG and an SCG).

As shown in FIG. 3 , a UE 120 may communicate with both an eNB (e.g., a4G base station 110) and a gNB (e.g., a 5G base station 110), and theeNB and the gNB may communicate (e.g., directly or indirectly) with a4G/LTE core network, shown as an evolved packet core (EPC) that includesa mobility management entity (MME), a packet data network gateway (PGW),a serving gateway (SGW), and/or the like. In FIG. 3 , the PGW and theSGW are shown collectively as P/SGW. In some aspects, the eNB and thegNB may be co-located at the same base station 110. In some aspects, theeNB and the gNB may be included in different base stations 110 (e.g.,may not be co-located).

As further shown in FIG. 3 , a wireless network that enables operationin a 5G NSA mode may enable such operations using an MCG for a first RAT(e.g., an LTE RAT and/or a 4G RAT) and an SCG for a second RAT (e.g., anNR RAT and/or a 5G RAT). In this case, the UE 120 may communicate withthe eNB via the MCG, and may communicate with the gNB via the SCG. Insome aspects, the MCG may anchor a network connection between the UE 120and the 4G/LTE core network (e.g., for mobility, coverage, and/orcontrol plane information), and the SCG may be added as additionalcarriers to increase throughput (e.g., for data traffic and/or userplane information). In some aspects, the gNB and the eNB may nottransfer user plane information between one another. In some aspects, aUE 120 operating in a dual connectivity mode may be concurrentlyconnected with an LTE base station 110 (e.g., an eNB) and an NR basestation 110 (e.g., a gNB) (e.g., in the case of ENDC or NEDC), or may beconcurrently connected with one or more base stations 110 that use thesame RAT (e.g., in the case of NRDC). In some aspects, the MCG may beassociated with a first frequency band (e.g., a sub-6 GHz band and/or anFR1 band) and the SCG may be associated with a second frequency band(e.g., a millimeter wave band and/or an FR2 band). In some aspects, theMCG and/or the SCG may be associated with a DRX configuration.

The UE 120 may communicate via the MCG and the SCG using one or moreradio bearers (e.g., data radio bearers (DRBs) and/or signaling radiobearers (SRBs)). For example, the UE 120 may transmit or receive datavia the MCG and/or the SCG using one or more DRBs. Similarly, the UE 120may transmit or receive control information (e.g., radio resourcecontrol (RRC) information, measurement configurations, and/ormeasurement reports) using one or more SRBs. In some aspects, a radiobearer may be dedicated to a specific cell group (e.g., a radio bearermay be an MCG bearer and/or an SCG bearer). In some aspects, a radiobearer may be a split radio bearer. A split radio bearer may be split inthe uplink and/or in the downlink. For example, a DRB may be split onthe downlink (e.g., the UE 120 may receive downlink information for theMCG or the SCG in the DRB) but not on the uplink (e.g., the uplink maybe non-split with a primary path to the MCG or the SCG, such that the UE120 transmits in the uplink only on the primary path). In some aspects,a DRB may be split on the uplink with a primary path to the MCG or theSCG. A DRB that is split in the uplink may transmit data using theprimary path until a size of an uplink transmit buffer satisfies anuplink data split threshold. If the uplink transmit buffer satisfies theuplink data split threshold, the UE 120 may transmit data to the MCG orthe SCG using the DRB.

As indicated above, FIG. 3 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with respect to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example 400 of a multiple subscriberidentity module (SIM) UE, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure. As shown in FIG. 4 , a UE 120 may be a multiple SIM(multi-SIM) UE that includes multiple SIMs (two or more SIMs), shown asa first SIM 405 a and a second SIM 405 b. The first SIM 405 a may beassociated with a first subscription (shown as SUB 1), and the secondSIM 405 b may be associated with a second subscription (shown as SUB 2).A subscription may include a subscription with a network operator (e.g.,a mobile network operator (MNO)) that enables the UE 120 to access awireless network (e.g., a radio access network (RAN)) associated withthe network operator.

A SIM 405 may be a removable SIM (for example, a SIM card) or anembedded SIM. A SIM 405 may include an integrated circuit that securelystores an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI) and a securitykey, which are used to identify and authenticate a correspondingsubscription associated with the SIM 405. In some cases, a SIM 405 maystore a list of services that the UE 120 has permission to access usinga subscription associated with the SIM 405, such as a data service or avoice service, among other examples.

As further shown in FIG. 4 , the UE 120 may communicate (e.g., in aconnected mode, an idle mode, or an inactive mode) with a first basestation 410 a via a first cell 415 a (shown as Cell 1) using the firstSIM 405 a. In this case, the first subscription of the UE 120 may beused to access the first cell 415 a (e.g., using a first IMSI for UEidentification, using a first security key for UE authentication, usinga first list of services that the UE 120 is permitted to access usingthe first subscription, or by counting data or voice usage on the firstcell against the first subscription, among other examples). Similarly,the UE 120 may communicate (e.g., in a connected mode, an idle mode, oran inactive mode) with a second base station 410 b via a second cell 415b (shown as Cell 2) using the second SIM 405 b. In this case, the secondsubscription of the UE 120 may be used to access the second cell 415 b(e.g., using a second IMSI for UE identification, using a secondsecurity key for UE authentication, using a second list of services thatthe UE 120 is permitted to access using the second subscription, or bycounting data or voice usage on the second cell against the secondsubscription, among other examples).

The first base station 410 a and/or the second base station 410 b mayinclude one or more of the base stations 110 described above inconnection with FIG. 1 . Although the first cell 415 a and the secondcell 415 b are shown as being provided by different base stations, insome aspects, the first cell 415 and the second cell 415 b may beprovided by the same base station. Thus, in some aspects, the first basestation 410 a and the second base station 410 b may be integrated into asingle base station.

In some cases, the UE 120 may be a single receiver (SR) (sometimes alsoreferred to as single radio) multi-SIM UE, such as an SR multi-SIMmultiple standby (SR-MSMS) UE or a single receiver dual SIM dual standby(SR-DSDS) UE, among other examples. A multi-SIM UE may be capable ofswitching between two separate mobile network services, may includehardware for maintaining multiple connections (for example, oneconnection per SIM) in a standby state, or may include hardware (forexample, multiple transceivers) for maintaining multiple network linksat the same time, among other examples. In general, the multiple networklinks associated with the multiple SIMs 405 may be configured orotherwise managed independently. For example, one or more of themultiple SIMs 405 may be used to communicate on a network linkassociated with a discontinuous reception (DRX) configuration. However,an SR-DSDS UE or an SR-MSMS UE may only be capable of receiving data onone network link at a time because radio frequency resources are sharedbetween the multiple subscriptions. For example, an SR-DSDS UE or anSR-MSMS UE may be associated with multiple subscriptions but may includeonly a single transceiver shared by the multiple subscriptions, a singletransmit chain shared by the multiple subscriptions, and/or a singlereceive chain shared by the multiple subscriptions, among otherexamples.

As indicated above, FIG. 4 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with regard to FIG. 4 .

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example 500 of a discontinuousreception (DRX) configuration, in accordance with various aspects of thepresent disclosure.

As shown in FIG. 5 , a base station 110 may transmit a DRX configurationto a UE 120 to configure a DRX cycle 505 for the UE 120. A DRX cycle 505may include a DRX on duration 510 (e.g., during which a UE 120 is awakeor in an active state) and an opportunity to enter a sleep state oranother suitable low power mode or perform other radio-relatedactivities (e.g., monitoring one or more frequencies, retuning,performing a search process, and/or performing animplementation-specific activity) during an off duration 515 of the DRXcycle 505, which may be referred to herein as DRX off duration 515. Asused herein, the time during which the UE 120 is configured to be in anactive state during the DRX on duration 510 may be referred to as anactive time, and the time during which the UE 120 is configured to be inthe sleep state during the DRX off duration 515 may be referred to as aninactive time. As described below, the UE 120 may monitor a physicaldownlink control channel (PDCCH) on a network link associated with theDRX configuration during the active time, and may refrain frommonitoring the PDCCH on the network link associated with the DRXconfiguration during the inactive time.

During the DRX on duration 510 (e.g., the active time), the UE 120 maymonitor a downlink control channel (e.g., a PDCCH), as shown at 520. Forexample, the UE 120 may monitor the PDCCH for downlink controlinformation (DCI) pertaining to the UE 120. If the UE 120 does notdetect and/or is unable to successfully decode any PDCCH communicationsintended for the UE 120 during the DRX on duration 510, then the UE 120may enter the sleep state during the DRX off duration 515 (e.g., for theinactive time) at the end of the DRX on duration 510, as shown at 525.In this way, the UE 120 may conserve battery power and/or reduce powerconsumption. As shown, the DRX cycle 505 may repeat with a configuredperiodicity according to the DRX configuration.

If the UE 120 detects and/or successfully decodes a PDCCH communicationintended for the UE 120, then the UE 120 may remain in an active state(e.g., awake) for the duration of a DRX inactivity timer 530 (e.g.,which may extend the active time). The UE 120 may start the DRXinactivity timer 530 at a time at which the PDCCH communication isreceived (e.g., in a transmission time interval (TTI) in which the PDCCHcommunication is received, such as a slot, a subframe, and/or the like).The UE 120 may remain in the active state until the DRX inactivity timer530 expires, at which time the UE 120 may enter the sleep state duringthe DRX off duration 515 (e.g., for the inactive time), as shown at 535.During the duration of the DRX inactivity timer 530, the UE 120 maycontinue to monitor for PDCCH communications, may obtain a downlink datacommunication (e.g., on a downlink data channel, such as a physicaldownlink shared channel (PDSCH)) scheduled by the PDCCH communication,may prepare and/or transmit an uplink communication (e.g., on a physicaluplink shared channel (PUSCH)) scheduled by the PDCCH communication,and/or the like. The UE 120 may restart the DRX inactivity timer 530after each detection of a PDCCH communication for the UE 120 for aninitial transmission (e.g., but not for a retransmission). By operatingin this manner, the UE 120 may conserve battery power and/or reducepower consumption by entering the sleep state during the off duration515 of the DRX cycle 505.

As indicated above, FIG. 5 is provided as an example. Other examples maydiffer from what is described with respect to FIG. 5 .

In some cases, a UE may be configured to communicate on one or morewireless networks using different network links. For example, asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 3 , a UE may be configured tocommunicate with one or more cells in an MCG using a first network linkand with one or more cells in an SCG using a second network link in adual connectivity scenario. Additionally, or alternatively, as describedabove with reference to FIG. 4 , a UE may be configured to communicatewith one or more cells associated with a first SIM using a first networklink and with one or more cells associated with a second SIM using asecond network link in a multi-SIM scenario. In some cases, the firstnetwork link and the second network link may be configuredindependently. For example, as described above with reference to FIG. 5, one or more network links may be associated with a DRX configurationthat causes the UE to cycle between an on duration in which the UEmonitors or otherwise receives downlink signals and an off duration inwhich the UE may operate one or more reception components in a sleepstate or perform other radio-related activities to take advantage of thelimited monitoring obligations during the off duration of the DRXconfiguration.

However, in some cases, a wireless network may provide the UE with ameasurement configuration indicating one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects that are scheduled on a network link during the offduration of a DRX cycle configured on the network link. In such cases,the measurement configuration may reduce the potential power savingsthat the UE may achieve during the off duration of the DRX cycle. Forexample, the UE may need to utilize one or more gap occasions during theoff duration of the DRX cycle to perform the inter-frequency measurementactivities configured on the corresponding network link, which reduces aproportion of the DRX off duration during which the UE can operate inthe sleep state. Furthermore, because the first network link and thesecond network may be configured independently in a dual network linkscenario (e.g., a dual connectivity and/or multi-SIM scenario), thesecond network link may have one or more unoccupied gap occasionsavailable to perform measurement activities, which could potentially bewasted in cases where there are no or very few measurement objectsconfigured on the second network link.

Some aspects described herein relate to techniques and apparatuses toload balance inter-frequency measurement activities for dual networklink scenarios. For example, when a wireless network provides a UE witha measurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects that are scheduled during a DRX off durationconfigured on a first network link and the UE has one or more unoccupiedgap occasions on a second network link, the UE may assign a subset ofthe inter-frequency measurement objects to the unoccupied gap occasionson the second network link.

For example, the UE may assign all of the inter-frequency measurementobjects to the second network link if the second network link has analways-on configuration. In this way, the UE may perform inter-frequencymeasurement activities using the unoccupied gap occasions that wouldotherwise be wasted on the second network link, and may operate one ormore components associated with the first network link in a sleep stateduring the entire off duration of the DRX cycle configured on the firstnetwork link. Alternatively, if the second network link has a DRXconfiguration, the UE may assign some inter-frequency measurementobjects to unoccupied gap occasions in an earlier portion of the offduration for the DRX cycle configured on the second network link.

In this way, the UE may perform inter-frequency measurement activitieson the first network link and the second network link at the same time(e.g., during overlapping portions of the DRX off durations configuredon the first and second network links) to extend a common sleep durationacross the first and second network links. As a result, the UE mayoperate one or more components associated with the first network link,one or more components associated with the second network link, and oneor more common components shared by the first network link and thesecond network link in a sleep state during the common sleep duration.In this way, the UE may save power by spending more time in a low powerstate, and mobility performance for the UE may be improved by increasingthe efficiency and reliability of inter-frequency measurementactivities.

FIGS. 6A-6B are diagrams illustrating an example 600 associated withload balancing inter-frequency measurement activities for a dual networklink scenario. As shown in FIGS. 6A-6B, example 600 includescommunication between a base station 110 and a UE 120 in a wirelessnetwork, such as wireless network 100.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may communicate with the base station 110via a first network link, which may include a wireless access linkassociated with an uplink and a downlink. Furthermore, the UE 120 may beconfigured to communicate with the base station 110 or another basestation (not shown) via a second network link. For example, the UE 120may be configured to communicate via the first network link and thesecond network link in a dual connectivity mode in which the firstnetwork link and the second network link are associated with differentcell groups (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 3 ).Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 120 may be configured tocommunicate via the first network link using a first subscriptionassociated with a first SIM and via the second network link using asecond subscription associated with a second SIM in a multi-SIM mode(e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 4 ).

In some aspects, the first network link and the second network link thatare configured for the UE 120 may be managed independently from oneanother. For example, in the example 600 shown in FIGS. 6A-6B, the firstnetwork link is associated with a DRX configuration (e.g., a connectedmode DRX (CDRX) configuration allowing the UE 120 to make signaling-freetransitions between an active state during a DRX on duration and a sleepstate during a DRX off duration) and the second network link isassociated with an always-on configuration. Furthermore, in someaspects, the first network link and the second network link may beassociated with different measurement configurations. For example, asshown at 610, the base station 110 may transmit, and the UE 120 mayreceive, a measurement configuration that indicates one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects on the first network link associatedwith the DRX configuration. As further shown in FIG. 6A, the secondnetwork link associated with the always-on configuration has nomeasurement objects or very few measurement objects configured.Accordingly, as described herein, the UE 120 may be configured to loadbalance the inter-frequency measurement objects to increase utilizationof available resources on the second network link and/or increase a timeperiod during which reception components associated with the firstnetwork link can be operated in a low power state during the offduration of the DRX cycle configured on the first network link.

For example, in some aspects, the UE 120 and the base station 110 maycommunicate on a downlink using one or more downlink carrier frequenciesassociated with one or more serving cells. Accordingly, the base station110 may transmit the measurement configuration to the UE 120 to requestthat the UE 120 perform one or more measurement activities to manage thenetwork link between the base station 110 and the UE 120 (e.g., todetermine whether to maintain the network link via the current servingcell(s) or initiate a handover to a different carrier frequency or adifferent serving cell that may offer better performance than thecurrent serving cell(s)). For example, as described herein, themeasurement configuration may indicate the inter-frequency measurementobjects to request that the UE 120 perform measurements at one or morefrequencies that differ from any downlink carrier frequency that the UE120 is using to communicate with the base station 110. Furthermore, inaddition to indicating the inter-frequency measurement objects, themeasurement configuration may include parameters that relate to areporting configuration (e.g., one or more reporting criteria thattrigger the UE 120 to transmit a measurement report and/or a reportingformat), one or more measurement identities that each link a particularmeasurement object with a particular reporting configuration, one ormore quantity configurations that define measurement quantities andassociated event and/or reporting filtering for a measurement type,and/or one or more measurement gaps that define time periods that the UE120 may use to perform the inter-frequency measurement activities (e.g.,time periods when no downlink or uplink transmissions are scheduled toor from the UE 120).

As further shown in FIG. 6A, at 620, the UE 120 may determine that theinter-frequency measurement objects configured on the first network linkinclude one or more inter-frequency measurement objects that arescheduled during the off duration of the DRX cycle configured on thefirst network link. For example, as shown at 630, the measurementconfiguration may indicate a first inter-frequency measurement object(MO₁) associated with one or more inter-frequency measurement activitiesthat the UE 120 is requested to perform on a first downlink frequencythat differs from any downlink carrier frequencies that the UE 120 isusing to communicate with the base station 110, and a secondinter-frequency measurement object (MO₂) associated with one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities that the UE 120 is requested toperform on a second downlink frequency that differs from any of thedownlink carrier frequencies that the UE 120 is using to communicatewith the base station 110. In this case, as shown at 630, themeasurement configuration may cause the UE 120 to open six (6) gapoccasions during the off duration of the DRX cycle, which would preventthe UE 120 from operating reception components associated with the firstnetwork link in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle duringthe off duration of the DRX cycle if the UE 120 were to utilize the gapoccasions to perform inter-frequency measurement activities. However,because the second network link has an always-on configuration and no orvery few measurement objects are configured on the second network link,the second network link includes unoccupied gap occasions that the UE120 may utilize to perform the inter-frequency measurement activitiesfor the inter-frequency measurement objects configured on the firstnetwork link.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6B, at 640, the UE 120 may assign, to thesecond network link, all of the inter-frequency measurement objects thatare configured on the first network link during the off duration of theDRX cycle associated with the first network link. For example, as shownat 650, all of the inter-frequency measurement objects configured on thefirst network link may be passed or otherwise assigned to the unoccupiedgap occasions on the second network link based at least in part on thesecond network link having an always-on configuration. Additionally, oralternatively, the UE 120 may include a common component associated withthe first network link and the second network link (e.g., a controller,a receive processor, and/or a shared baseband component, among otherexamples) that may evaluate the measurement objects configured on thefirst network link and the second network link and assign or otherwisedistribute the measurement objects among the first network link and thesecond network link to maximize power savings and/or resourceutilization, among other examples. Accordingly, the UE 120 may includeone or more components that can control the first network link and thesecond network link, and the one or more components may be configured toassign or otherwise distribute the measurement objects among the firstnetwork link and the second network link. In this way, the UE 120 mayutilize the first network link and/or the second network link to performmeasurement activities associated with measurement objects that areconfigured on either link. Furthermore, because the first network linkand the second network link are configured independently, the assignmentor distribution of the measurement objects among the first network linkand the second network link by the UE 120 may be transparent to the basestation(s) 110 that configured the measurement objects.

For example, the common component of the UE 120 may assign all of theinter-frequency measurement objects to the second network link when thesecond network link has an always-on configuration and unoccupied gapoccasions, which may reduce power consumption at the UE 120 because theUE 120 can operate reception components associated with the firstnetwork link in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle duringthe entire off duration of the DRX cycle. Moreover, using one or morereception components associated with the second network link to performthe inter-frequency measurement activities consumes little to noadditional power at the UE 120 because the second network link would bein an active state even if no inter-frequency measurement activitieswere performed using the second network link. Furthermore, the UE 120may assign the inter-frequency measurement objects to the second networklink to improve resource utilization at the UE 120 because theunoccupied gap occasions on the second network link would otherwise bewasted if no measurement activities were performed during the gapoccasions.

Accordingly, the UE 120 may use reception components associated with thesecond network link to perform inter-frequency measurement activitiesfor the inter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the secondnetwork link while the reception components associated with the firstnetwork link are operated in accordance with the off duration of the DRXcycle. As shown in FIG. 6B, the resulting inter-frequency measurementsmay then be returned from the second network link where theinter-frequency measurements were performed to the first link where theinter-frequency measurement objects were originally configured (e.g.,via an internal bus or another suitable interconnect). Accordingly, asshown at 660, the UE 120 may transmit, and the base station 110 mayreceive, a measurement report that includes the inter-frequencymeasurements that were originally configured on the first network linkand performed using the second network link. For example, in someaspects, the measurement report may be triggered and/or formatted basedat least in part on a reporting configuration indicated in themeasurement configuration provided by the base station 110, and mayinclude one or more measurement quantities based at least in part on oneor more measurement identities and/or quantity configurations indicatedin the measurement configuration provided by the base station 110. Inthis way, the UE 120 may use the second network link to perform theinter-frequency measurements requested by the base station in order toreduce power consumption and/or improve resource utilization associatedwith the inter-frequency measurement activities in a manner that isgenerally transparent to the base station 110.

As indicated above, FIGS. 6A-6B are provided as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with respect to FIGS. 6A-6B.

FIGS. 7A-7B are diagrams illustrating an example 700 associated withload balancing inter-frequency measurement activities for a dual networklink scenario. As shown in FIGS. 7A-7B, example 700 includescommunication between a base station 110 and a UE 120 in a wirelessnetwork, such as wireless network 100.

In some aspects, the UE 120 may communicate with the base station 110via a first network link, which may include a wireless access linkassociated with an uplink and a downlink. Furthermore, the UE 120 may beconfigured to communicate with the base station 110 or another basestation (not shown) via a second network link. For example, the UE 120may be configured to communicate via the first network link and thesecond network link in a dual connectivity mode in which the firstnetwork link and the second network link are associated with differentcell groups (e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 3 ).Additionally, or alternatively, the UE 120 may be configured tocommunicate via the first network link using a first subscriptionassociated with a first SIM and via the second network link using asecond subscription associated with a second SIM in a multi-SIM mode(e.g., as described above with reference to FIG. 4 ).

In some aspects, the first network link and the second network link thatare configured for the UE 120 may be managed independently from oneanother. For example, in the example 700 shown in FIGS. 7A-7B, the firstnetwork link is associated with a first DRX configuration (e.g., a firstCDRX configuration) and the second network link is associated with asecond DRX configuration (e.g., a second CDRX configuration).Furthermore, in some aspects, the first network link and the secondnetwork link may be associated with different measurementconfigurations. For example, as shown at 710, the base station 110 maytransmit, and the UE 120 may receive, a measurement configuration thatindicates one or more inter-frequency measurement objects on the firstnetwork link associated with the DRX configuration. However, as furthershown in FIG. 7A, the second network link associated with the second DRXconfiguration has no measurement objects or very few measurement objectsconfigured. Accordingly, as described herein, the UE 120 may beconfigured to load balance the inter-frequency measurement objects toincrease utilization of available resources on the second network linkand/or increase a time period during which reception componentsassociated with the first network link can be operated in a low powerstate during the off duration of the DRX cycle configured on the firstnetwork link. Furthermore, as described herein, the inter-frequencymeasurement objects may be load balanced to increase a common sleepduration across the first network link and the second network link. Inthis way, the UE 120 may operate one or more common components that areshared by the first network link and the second network link in a sleepstate during the common sleep duration.

For example, in some aspects, the UE 120 and the base station 110 maycommunicate on a downlink using one or more downlink carrier frequenciesassociated with one or more serving cells. Accordingly, the base station110 may transmit the measurement configuration to the UE 120 to requestthat the UE 120 perform one or more measurement activities to manage thenetwork link between the base station 110 and the UE 120 (e.g., todetermine whether to maintain the network link via the current servingcell(s) or initiate a handover to a different carrier frequency or adifferent serving cell that may offer better performance than thecurrent serving cell(s)). For example, as described herein, themeasurement configuration may indicate the inter-frequency measurementobjects to request that the UE 120 perform measurements at one or morefrequencies that differ from any downlink carrier frequency that the UE120 is using to communicate with the base station 110. Furthermore, inaddition to indicating the inter-frequency measurement objects, themeasurement configuration may include parameters that relate to areporting configuration (e.g., one or more reporting criteria thattrigger the UE 120 to transmit a measurement report and/or a reportingformat), one or more measurement identities that each link a particularmeasurement object with a particular reporting configuration, one ormore quantity configurations that define measurement quantities andassociated event and/or reporting filtering for a measurement type,and/or one or more measurement gaps that define time periods that the UE120 may use to perform the inter-frequency measurement activities (e.g.,time periods when no downlink or uplink transmissions are scheduled toor from the UE 120).

As further shown in FIG. 7A, at 720, the UE 120 may determine that theinter-frequency measurement objects configured on the first network linkinclude one or more inter-frequency measurement objects that arescheduled during the off duration of the DRX cycle configured on thefirst network link. For example, as shown at 730, the measurementconfiguration may indicate a first inter-frequency measurement object(MO₁) associated with one or more inter-frequency measurement activitiesthat the UE 120 is requested to perform on a first downlink frequencythat differs from any downlink carrier frequencies that the UE 120 isusing to communicate with the base station 110, and a secondinter-frequency measurement object (MO₂) associated with one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities that the UE 120 is requested toperform on a second downlink frequency that differs from any of thedownlink carrier frequencies that the UE 120 is using to communicatewith the base station 110. In this case, as shown at 730, themeasurement configuration may cause the UE 120 to open four (4) gapoccasions during the off duration of the DRX cycle on the first networklink, which would prevent the UE 120 from operating reception componentsassociated with the first network link in a sleep state during the offduration of the DRX cycle if the UE 120 were to utilize the gapoccasions to perform inter-frequency measurement activities.

However, because the second network link has fewer configuredmeasurement objects than the first network link (e.g., none in theillustrated example), the second network link includes unoccupied gapoccasions that the UE 120 could potentially utilize to performinter-frequency measurement activities for some of the inter-frequencymeasurement objects configured on the first network link to reduce powerconsumption by the UE 120. For example, in a dual network link scenario,the first network link and the second network link may share one or moreresources (e.g., receive chain components, transmit chain components,and/or control components, among other examples). However, the sharedresource(s) can be turned off or otherwise operated in a low power stateonly when neither network link is using the shared resource(s).Accordingly, in cases where the first network link and the secondnetwork link are both associated with a DRX configuration and moremeasurement objects are configured on one of the network links (e.g.,the first network link in the illustrated example), the UE 120 needs towait a longer time to satisfy the common sleep condition that allows theshared resource(s) associated with the first network link and the secondnetwork link to be operated in a low power state. For example, the UE120 may need to wait until all of the inter-frequency measurementactivities configured on the first network link have completed beforeoperating the shared resource(s) associated with the first network linkand the second network link in the low power state during the commonsleep duration.

Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7B, at 740, the UE 120 may assign, to thesecond network link, a subset of the inter-frequency measurement objectsthat are scheduled during the off duration of the DRX cycle associatedwith the first network link. For example, based at least in part on thefirst network link and the second network link each having a DRXconfiguration and there being an imbalance in the number ofinter-frequency measurement activities configured on the first andsecond network links, the UE 120 may distribute the inter-frequencymeasurement objects among the first network link and the second networklink. For example, in some aspects, the UE 120 may include a commoncomponent associated with the first network link and the second networklink (e.g., a controller, a receive processor, and/or a shared basebandcomponent, among other examples) that may evaluate the measurementobjects configured on the first network link and the second network linkand distribute the measurement objects among the first network link andthe second network link to maximize power savings and/or resourceutilization, among other examples.

For example, as shown at 750, one or more inter-frequency measurementobjects configured on the first network link may be assigned to thefirst network link and one or more inter-frequency measurement objectsconfigured on the first network link may be assigned to the secondnetwork link. For example, the inter-frequency measurement object(s)assigned to the first network link and the inter-frequency measurementobject(s) assigned to the second network link may be associated withdifferent frequencies. In general, as shown, the inter-frequencymeasurement objects assigned to the second network link may be assignedto unoccupied gap occasions in an earlier portion of the off duration ofthe DRX cycle. In this way, inter-frequency measurement activitiesdistributed across the first network link and the second network linkmay be performed during an overlapping time period, which may beconcentrated in the earlier portion of the off duration of the DRXcycle. In this way, by distributing the inter-frequency measurementactivities among the first network link and the second network link, theinter-frequency measurement activities may be completed at an earliertime than would be the case if the inter-frequency measurementactivities were performed on one network link. As a result, distributingthe inter-frequency measurement activities among the first network linkand the second network link may increase the common sleep durationacross the first network link and the second network link, which mayreduce power consumption at the UE 120 by extending the time thatcomponents shared by the first network link and the second network linkcan be operated in a low power state.

Accordingly, the UE 120 may use reception components associated with thefirst network link and the second network link to performinter-frequency measurement activities for the inter-frequencymeasurement objects distributed among the first network link and thesecond network link. After the inter-frequency measurement activitieshave completed, the UE 120 may operate one or more reception componentsassociated with the first network link in accordance with the offduration of the DRX cycle (e.g., in a sleep state), may operate one ormore reception components associated with the second network link inaccordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle (e.g., in a sleepstate), and may operate one or more shared components associated withthe first network link and the second network link in accordance withthe off duration of the DRX cycle (e.g., in a sleep state) during acommon sleep duration (e.g., a time period during which the firstnetwork link and the second network link are both in a DRX offduration). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7B, any inter-frequencymeasurements obtained using the second network link may be returned fromthe second network link to the first link where the inter-frequencymeasurement objects were originally configured (e.g., via an internalbus or another suitable interconnect). Accordingly, as shown at 760, theUE 120 may transmit, and the base station 110 may receive, a measurementreport that includes the inter-frequency measurements that wereoriginally configured on the first network link and performed using thesecond network link as well as the inter-frequency measurements thatwere originally configured on the first network link and performed usingthe first network link. For example, in some aspects, the measurementreport may be triggered and/or formatted based at least in part on areporting configuration indicated in the measurement configurationprovided by the base station 110, and may include one or moremeasurement quantities based at least in part on one or more measurementidentities and/or quantity configurations indicated in the measurementconfiguration provided by the base station 110. In this way, the UE 120may use the second network link to perform the inter-frequencymeasurements requested by the base station in order to reduce powerconsumption and/or improve resource utilization associated with theinter-frequency measurement activities in a manner that is generallytransparent to the base station 110.

As indicated above, FIGS. 7A-7B are provided as an example. Otherexamples may differ from what is described with respect to FIGS. 7A-7B.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an example method 800 of wirelesscommunication. The method 800 may be performed by, for example, a UE(e.g., UE 120) configured to communicate using a first network link anda second network link. In some aspects, the first network link and thesecond network link are associated with different cell groups configuredin a dual connectivity mode. In some aspects, the first network link andthe second network link are associated with different SIMs.

At 810, the UE may receive, from a base station, a measurementconfiguration indicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects onthe first network link associated with a DRX cycle. For example, the UE(e.g., using reception component 902, depicted in FIG. 9 ) may receive,from a base station, a measurement configuration indicating multipleinter-frequency measurement objects on the first network link associatedwith a DRX cycle, as described above in connection with, for example,FIG. 6A at 610 and FIG. 7A at 710.

At 820, the UE may assign, to the second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects, among the multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects, that are scheduled during an off duration of theDRX cycle. For example, the UE (e.g., using assignment component 908,depicted in FIG. 9 ) may assign, to the second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects, among the multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects, that are scheduled during an off duration of theDRX cycle, as described above in connection with, for example, FIG. 6Bat 640 and FIG. 7B at 740. In some aspects, the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network linkinclude all of the inter-frequency measurement objects that arescheduled during the off duration of the DRX cycle based at least inpart on the second network link having an always-on configuration. Insome aspects, the one or more inter-frequency measurement objectsassigned to the second network link are associated with one or morefrequencies that are different from one or more frequencies associatedwith one or more inter-frequency measurement objects assigned to thefirst network link. In some aspects, the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects are assigned to unoccupied gap occasions on thesecond network link.

At 830, the UE may operate one or more components associated with thefirst network link in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycleduring a portion of the off duration of the DRX cycle in which the oneor more inter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled. For example,the UE (e.g., using operation component 910, depicted in FIG. 9 ) mayoperate one or more components associated with the first network link inaccordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle during a portion ofthe off duration of the DRX cycle in which the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled, as described above inconnection with, for example, FIG. 6B at 650 and FIG. 7B at 750. In someaspects, the one or more components associated with the first networklink operate in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle duringan entirety of the off duration of the DRX cycle based at least in parton all of the inter-frequency measurement objects scheduled during theoff duration of the DRX cycle being assigned to the second network link.In some aspects, the portion of the off duration of the DRX cycle inwhich the one or more inter-frequency measurement objects are scheduledoverlaps with an off duration of a DRX cycle associated with the secondnetwork link. In some aspects, method 800 includes operating one or morecommon components that are shared by the first network link and thesecond network link in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycleduring the portion of the off duration of the DRX cycle associated withthe first network link that overlaps with the off duration of the DRXcycle associated with the second network link, as described above inconnection with, for example, FIG. 6B at 650 and FIG. 7B at 750.

In some aspects, method 800 includes performing, using one or morecomponents associated with the second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities for the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network link,and transmitting, to the base station via the first network link, ameasurement report including one or more inter-frequency measurementsthat are based at least in part on the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement activities performed using the one or more componentsassociated with the second network link, as described above inconnection with, for example, FIG. 6B at 650 and 660 and FIG. 7B at 750and 760.

Although FIG. 8 shows example blocks of method 800, in some aspects,method 800 may include additional blocks, fewer blocks, differentblocks, or differently arranged blocks than those depicted in FIG. 8 .Additionally, or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of method 800may be performed in parallel.

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of an example apparatus 900 for wirelesscommunication. The apparatus 900 may be a UE, or a UE may include theapparatus 900. In some aspects, the apparatus 900 includes a receptioncomponent 902 and a transmission component 904, which may be incommunication with one another (for example, via one or more busesand/or one or more other components). As shown, the apparatus 900 maycommunicate with another apparatus 906 (such as a UE, a base station, oranother wireless communication device) using the reception component 902and the transmission component 904. As further shown, the apparatus 900may include one or more of an assignment component 908, an operationcomponent 910, or a measurement component 912, among other examples.

In some aspects, the apparatus 900 may be configured to perform one ormore operations described herein in connection with FIGS. 6A-6B and/orFIGS. 7A-7B. Additionally, or alternatively, the apparatus 900 may beconfigured to perform one or more processes described herein, such asprocess 800 of FIG. 8 . In some aspects, the apparatus 900 and/or one ormore components shown in FIG. 9 may include one or more components ofthe UE described above in connection with FIG. 2 . Additionally, oralternatively, one or more components shown in FIG. 9 may be implementedwithin one or more components described above in connection with FIG. 2. Additionally, or alternatively, one or more components of the set ofcomponents may be implemented at least in part as software stored in amemory. For example, a component (or a portion of a component) may beimplemented as instructions or code stored in a non-transitorycomputer-readable medium and executable by a controller or a processorto perform the functions or operations of the component.

The reception component 902 may receive communications, such asreference signals, control information, data communications, or acombination thereof, from the apparatus 906. The reception component 902may provide received communications to one or more other components ofthe apparatus 900. In some aspects, the reception component 902 mayperform signal processing on the received communications (such asfiltering, amplification, demodulation, analog-to-digital conversion,demultiplexing, deinterleaving, de-mapping, equalization, interferencecancellation, or decoding, among other examples), and may provide theprocessed signals to the one or more other components of the apparatus906. In some aspects, the reception component 902 may include one ormore antennas, a demodulator, a MIMO detector, a receive processor, acontroller/processor, a memory, or a combination thereof, of the UEdescribed above in connection with FIG. 2 .

The transmission component 904 may transmit communications, such asreference signals, control information, data communications, or acombination thereof, to the apparatus 906. In some aspects, one or moreother components of the apparatus 906 may generate communications andmay provide the generated communications to the transmission component904 for transmission to the apparatus 906. In some aspects, thetransmission component 904 may perform signal processing on thegenerated communications (such as filtering, amplification, modulation,digital-to-analog conversion, multiplexing, interleaving, mapping, orencoding, among other examples), and may transmit the processed signalsto the apparatus 906. In some aspects, the transmission component 904may include one or more antennas, a modulator, a transmit MIMOprocessor, a transmit processor, a controller/processor, a memory, or acombination thereof, of the UE described above in connection with FIG. 2. In some aspects, the transmission component 904 may be co-located withthe reception component 902 in a transceiver.

The reception component 902 may receive, from a base station, ameasurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects on a first network link associated with a DRX cycle.The assignment component 908 may assign, to a second network link, oneor more inter-frequency measurement objects, among the multipleinter-frequency measurement objects, that are scheduled during an offduration of the DRX cycle. The operation component 910 may operate oneor more components associated with the first network link in accordancewith the off duration of the DRX cycle during a portion of the offduration of the DRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects are scheduled.

The operation component 910 may operate one or more common componentsthat are shared by the first network link and the second network link inaccordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle during the portion ofthe off duration of the DRX cycle associated with the first network linkthat overlaps with the off duration of the DRX cycle associated with thesecond network link.

The measurement component 912 may perform, using one or more componentsassociated with the second network link, one or more inter-frequencymeasurement activities for the one or more inter-frequency measurementobjects assigned to the second network link. The transmission component904 may transmit, to the base station via the first network link, ameasurement report including one or more inter-frequency measurementsthat are based at least in part on the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement activities performed using the one or more componentsassociated with the second network link.

The number and arrangement of components shown in FIG. 9 are provided asan example. In practice, there may be additional components, fewercomponents, different components, or differently arranged componentsthan those shown in FIG. 9 . Furthermore, two or more components shownin FIG. 9 may be implemented within a single component, or a singlecomponent shown in FIG. 9 may be implemented as multiple, distributedcomponents. Additionally, or alternatively, a set of (one or more)components shown in FIG. 9 may perform one or more functions describedas being performed by another set of components shown in FIG. 9 .

FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example 1000 of a hardwareimplementation for an apparatus 1005 employing a processing system 1010.The apparatus 1005 may be a UE.

The processing system 1010 may be implemented with a bus architecture,represented generally by the bus 1015. The bus 1015 may include anynumber of interconnecting buses and bridges depending on the specificapplication of the processing system 1010 and the overall designconstraints. The bus 1015 links together various circuits including oneor more processors and/or hardware components, represented by theprocessor 1020, the illustrated components, and the computer-readablemedium/memory 1025. The bus 1015 may also link various other circuits,such as timing sources, peripherals, voltage regulators, powermanagement circuits, and/or the like.

The processing system 1010 may be coupled to a transceiver 1030. Thetransceiver 1030 is coupled to one or more antennas 1035. Thetransceiver 1030 provides a means for communicating with various otherapparatuses over a transmission medium. The transceiver 1030 receives asignal from the one or more antennas 1035, extracts information from thereceived signal, and provides the extracted information to theprocessing system 1010, specifically the reception component 902. Inaddition, the transceiver 1030 receives information from the processingsystem 1010, specifically the transmission component 904, and generatesa signal to be applied to the one or more antennas 1035 based at leastin part on the received information.

The processing system 1010 includes a processor 1020 coupled to acomputer-readable medium/memory 1025. The processor 1020 is responsiblefor general processing, including the execution of software stored onthe computer-readable medium/memory 1025. The software, when executed bythe processor 1020, causes the processing system 1010 to perform thevarious functions described herein for any particular apparatus. Thecomputer-readable medium/memory 1025 may also be used for storing datathat is manipulated by the processor 1020 when executing software. Theprocessing system further includes at least one of the illustratedcomponents. The components may be software modules running in theprocessor 1020, resident/stored in the computer readable medium/memory1025, one or more hardware modules coupled to the processor 1020, orsome combination thereof.

In some aspects, the processing system 1010 may be a component of the UE120 and may include the memory 282 and/or at least one of the TX MIMOprocessor 266, the RX processor 258, and/or the controller/processor280. In some aspects, the apparatus 1005 for wireless communicationincludes means for receiving, from a base station, a measurementconfiguration indicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects ona first network link associated with a DRX cycle, means for assigning,to a second network link, one or more inter-frequency measurementobjects, among the multiple inter-frequency measurement objects, thatare scheduled during an off duration of the DRX cycle, and/or means foroperating one or more components associated with the first network linkin accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycle during a portion ofthe off duration of the DRX cycle in which the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled. The aforementionedmeans may be one or more of the aforementioned components of theapparatus 900 and/or the processing system 1010 of the apparatus 1005configured to perform the functions recited by the aforementioned means.As described elsewhere herein, the processing system 1010 may includethe TX MIMO processor 266, the RX processor 258, and/or thecontroller/processor 280. In one configuration, the aforementioned meansmay be the TX MIMO processor 266, the RX processor 258, and/or thecontroller/processor 280 configured to perform the functions and/oroperations recited herein.

FIG. 10 is provided as an example. Other examples may differ from whatis described in connection with FIG. 10 .

The following provides an overview of aspects of the present disclosure:

Aspect 1: A method of wireless communication performed by a UE,comprising: receiving, from a base station, a measurement configurationindicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects on a firstnetwork link associated with a DRX cycle; assigning, to a second networklink, one or more inter-frequency measurement objects, among themultiple inter-frequency measurement objects, that are scheduled duringan off duration of the DRX cycle; and operating one or more componentsassociated with the first network link in accordance with the offduration of the DRX cycle during a portion of the off duration of theDRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequency measurement objectsare scheduled.

Aspect 2: The method of aspect 1, wherein the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network linkinclude all of the inter-frequency measurement objects that arescheduled during the off duration of the DRX cycle based at least inpart on the second network link having an always-on configuration.

Aspect 3: The method of aspect 2, wherein the one or more componentsassociated with the first network link operate in accordance with theoff duration of the DRX cycle during an entirety of the off duration ofthe DRX cycle based at least in part on all of the inter-frequencymeasurement objects scheduled during the off duration of the DRX cyclebeing assigned to the second network link.

Aspect 4: The method of aspect 1, wherein the portion of the offduration of the DRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects are scheduled overlaps with an off duration of a DRXcycle associated with the second network link.

Aspect 5: The method of aspect 4, further comprising: operating one ormore common components that are shared by the first network link and thesecond network link in accordance with the off duration of the DRX cycleduring the portion of the off duration of the DRX cycle associated withthe first network link that overlaps with the off duration of the DRXcycle associated with the second network link.

Aspect 6: The method of any of aspects 4-5, wherein the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network linkare associated with one or more frequencies that are different from oneor more frequencies associated with one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects assigned to the first network link.

Aspect 7: The method of any of aspects 1-6, wherein the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects are assigned to unoccupied gapoccasions on the second network link.

Aspect 8: The method of any of aspects 1-7, further comprising:performing, using one or more components associated with the secondnetwork link, one or more inter-frequency measurement activities for theone or more inter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the secondnetwork link; and transmitting, to the base station via the firstnetwork link, a measurement report including one or more inter-frequencymeasurements that are based at least in part on the one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities performed using the one or morecomponents associated with the second network link.

Aspect 9: The method of any of aspects 1-8, wherein the first networklink and the second network link are associated with different cellgroups configured in a dual connectivity mode.

Aspect 10: The method of any of aspects 1-9, wherein the first networklink and the second network link are associated with differentsubscriber identity modules.

Aspect 11: An apparatus for wireless communication at a device,comprising a processor; memory coupled with the processor; andinstructions stored in the memory and executable by the processor tocause the apparatus to perform the method of any of aspects 1-10.

Aspect 12: A device for wireless communication, comprising a memory andone or more processors coupled to the memory, the memory and the one ormore processors configured to perform the method of any of aspects 1-10.

Aspect 13: An apparatus for wireless communication, comprising at leastone means for performing the method of any of aspects 1-10.

Aspect 14: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code forwireless communication, the code comprising instructions executable by aprocessor to perform the method of any of aspects 1-10.

Aspect 15: A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set ofinstructions for wireless communication, the set of instructionscomprising one or more instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors of a device, cause the device to perform the method of any ofaspects 1-10.

The foregoing disclosure provides illustration and description, but isnot intended to be exhaustive or to limit the aspects to the preciseforms disclosed. Modifications and variations may be made in light ofthe above disclosure or may be acquired from practice of the aspects.

As used herein, the term “component” is intended to be broadly construedas hardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. Asused herein, a processor is implemented in hardware, firmware, and/or acombination of hardware and software. It will be apparent that systemsand/or methods described herein may be implemented in different forms ofhardware, firmware, and/or a combination of hardware and software. Theactual specialized control hardware or software code used to implementthese systems and/or methods is not limiting of the aspects. Thus, theoperation and behavior of the systems and/or methods were describedherein without reference to specific software code—it being understoodthat software and hardware can be designed to implement the systemsand/or methods based, at least in part, on the description herein.

As used herein, satisfying a threshold may, depending on the context,refer to a value being greater than the threshold, greater than or equalto the threshold, less than the threshold, less than or equal to thethreshold, equal to the threshold, not equal to the threshold, or thelike.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of various aspects. In fact, many ofthese features may be combined in ways not specifically recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification. Although each dependentclaim listed below may directly depend on only one claim, the disclosureof various aspects includes each dependent claim in combination withevery other claim in the claim set. As used herein, a phrase referringto “at least one of” a list of items refers to any combination of thoseitems, including single members. As an example, “at least one of: a, b,or c” is intended to cover a, b, c, a-b, a-c, b-c, and a-b-c, as well asany combination with multiples of the same element (e.g., a-a, a-a-a,a-a-b, a-a-c, a-b-b, a-c-c, b-b, b-b-b, b-b-c, c-c, and c-c-c or anyother ordering of a, b, and c).

No element, act, or instruction used herein should be construed ascritical or essential unless explicitly described as such. Also, as usedherein, the articles “a” and “an” are intended to include one or moreitems and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.” Further, asused herein, the article “the” is intended to include one or more itemsreferenced in connection with the article “the” and may be usedinterchangeably with “the one or more.” Furthermore, as used herein, theterms “set” and “group” are intended to include one or more items (e.g.,related items, unrelated items, or a combination of related andunrelated items), and may be used interchangeably with “one or more.”Where only one item is intended, the phrase “only one” or similarlanguage is used. Also, as used herein, the terms “has,” “have,”“having,” or the like are intended to be open-ended terms. Further, thephrase “based on” is intended to mean “based, at least in part, on”unless explicitly stated otherwise. Also, as used herein, the term “or”is intended to be inclusive when used in a series and may be usedinterchangeably with “and/or,” unless explicitly stated otherwise (e.g.,if used in combination with “either” or “only one of”).

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of wireless communication performed by auser equipment (UE), comprising: receiving a measurement configurationindicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects on a firstnetwork link associated with a first discontinuous reception (DRX)cycle; assigning, to a second network link, one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects, among the multiple inter-frequency measurementobjects, that are scheduled during an off duration of the first DRXcycle; and operating one or more components associated with the firstnetwork link in accordance with the off duration of the first DRX cycleduring a portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycle in which theone or more inter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled, whereinthe portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycle in which the oneor more inter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled overlaps withan off duration of a second DRX cycle associated with the second networklink.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: operating one ormore common components that are shared by the first network link and thesecond network link in accordance with the off duration of the first DRXcycle during the portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycleassociated with the first network link that overlaps with the offduration of the second DRX cycle associated with the second networklink.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects assigned to the second network link are associatedwith one or more frequencies that are different from one or morefrequencies associated with one or more inter-frequency measurementobjects assigned to the first network link.
 4. The method of claim 1,wherein the one or more inter-frequency measurement objects are assignedto unoccupied gap occasions on the second network link.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising: performing, using one or more componentsassociated with the second network link, one or more inter-frequencymeasurement activities for the one or more inter-frequency measurementobjects assigned to the second network link; and transmitting, via thefirst network link, a measurement report including one or moreinter-frequency measurements that are based at least in part on the oneor more inter-frequency measurement activities performed using the oneor more components associated with the second network link.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the first network link and the second networklink are associated with different cell groups configured in a dualconnectivity mode.
 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the first networklink and the second network link are associated with differentsubscriber identity modules.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein, afterassignment of the one or more inter-frequency measurement objects to thesecond network link, the multiple inter-frequency measurement objectsare evenly distributed between the first network link and the secondnetwork link.
 9. A user equipment (UE) for wireless communication,comprising: a memory; and one or more processors coupled to the memory,the one or more processors configured to: receive a measurementconfiguration indicating multiple inter-frequency measurement objects ona first network link associated with a first discontinuous reception(DRX) cycle; assign, to a second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects, among the multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects, that are scheduled during an off duration of thefirst DRX cycle; and operate one or more components associated with thefirst network link in accordance with the off duration of the first DRXcycle during a portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycle inwhich the one or more inter-frequency measurement objects are scheduled,wherein the portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycle in whichthe one or more inter-frequency measurement objects are scheduledoverlaps with an off duration of a second DRX cycle associated with thesecond network link.
 10. The UE of claim 9, wherein the one or moreprocessors are further configured to: operate one or more commoncomponents that are shared by the first network link and the secondnetwork link in accordance with the off duration of the first DRX cycleduring the portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycle associatedwith the first network link that overlaps with the off duration of thesecond DRX cycle associated with the second network link.
 11. The UE ofclaim 9, wherein the one or more inter-frequency measurement objectsassigned to the second network link are associated with one or morefrequencies that are different from one or more frequencies associatedwith one or more inter-frequency measurement objects assigned to thefirst network link.
 12. The UE of claim 9, wherein the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects are assigned to unoccupied gapoccasions on the second network link.
 13. The UE of claim 9, wherein theone or more processors are further configured to: perform, using one ormore components associated with the second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities for the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network link;and transmit, via the first network link, a measurement report includingone or more inter-frequency measurements that are based at least in parton the one or more inter-frequency measurement activities performedusing the one or more components associated with the second networklink.
 14. The UE of claim 9, wherein the first network link and thesecond network link are associated with different cell groups configuredin a dual connectivity mode.
 15. The UE of claim 9, wherein the firstnetwork link and the second network link are associated with differentsubscriber identity modules.
 16. The UE of claim 9, wherein, afterassignment of the one or more inter-frequency measurement objects to thesecond network link, the multiple inter-frequency measurement objectsare evenly distributed between the first network link and the secondnetwork link.
 17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing aset of instructions for wireless communication, the set of instructionscomprising: one or more instructions that, when executed by one or moreprocessors of a user equipment (UE), cause the UE to: receive ameasurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects on a first network link associated with a firstdiscontinuous reception (DRX) cycle; assign, to a second network link,one or more inter-frequency measurement objects, among the multipleinter-frequency measurement objects, that are scheduled during an offduration of the first DRX cycle; and operate one or more componentsassociated with the first network link in accordance with the offduration of the first DRX cycle during a portion of the off duration ofthe first DRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequency measurementobjects are scheduled, wherein the portion of the off duration of thefirst DRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequency measurementobjects are scheduled overlaps with an off duration of a second DRXcycle associated with the second network link.
 18. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or moreinstructions further cause the UE to: operate one or more commoncomponents that are shared by the first network link and the secondnetwork link in accordance with the off duration of the first DRX cycleduring the portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycle associatedwith the first network link that overlaps with the off duration of thesecond DRX cycle associated with the second network link.
 19. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one ormore inter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second networklink are associated with one or more frequencies that are different fromone or more frequencies associated with one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects assigned to the first network link.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one ormore inter-frequency measurement objects are assigned to unoccupied gapoccasions on the second network link.
 21. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the one or moreinstructions further cause the UE to: perform, using one or morecomponents associated with the second network link, one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities for the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network link;and transmit, via the first network link, a measurement report includingone or more inter-frequency measurements that are based at least in parton the one or more inter-frequency measurement activities performedusing the one or more components associated with the second networklink.
 22. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17,wherein the first network link and the second network link areassociated with different cell groups configured in a dual connectivitymode.
 23. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17,wherein the first network link and the second network link areassociated with different subscriber identity modules.
 24. An apparatusfor wireless communication, comprising: means for receiving ameasurement configuration indicating multiple inter-frequencymeasurement objects on a first network link associated with a firstdiscontinuous reception (DRX) cycle; means for assigning, to a secondnetwork link, one or more inter-frequency measurement objects, among themultiple inter-frequency measurement objects, that are scheduled duringan off duration of the first DRX cycle; and means for operating one ormore components associated with the first network link in accordancewith the off duration of the first DRX cycle during a portion of the offduration of the first DRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects are scheduled, wherein the portion of the offduration of the first DRX cycle in which the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects are scheduled overlaps with an off duration of asecond DRX cycle associated with the second network link.
 25. Theapparatus of claim 24, further comprising: means for operating one ormore common components that are shared by the first network link and thesecond network link in accordance with the off duration of the first DRXcycle during the portion of the off duration of the first DRX cycleassociated with the first network link that overlaps with the offduration of the second DRX cycle associated with the second networklink.
 26. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the one or moreinter-frequency measurement objects assigned to the second network linkare associated with one or more frequencies that are different from oneor more frequencies associated with one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects assigned to the first network link.
 27. Theapparatus of claim 24, wherein the one or more inter-frequencymeasurement objects are assigned to unoccupied gap occasions on thesecond network link.
 28. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising:means for performing, using one or more components associated with thesecond network link, one or more inter-frequency measurement activitiesfor the one or more inter-frequency measurement objects assigned to thesecond network link; and means for transmitting, via the first networklink, a measurement report including one or more inter-frequencymeasurements that are based at least in part on the one or moreinter-frequency measurement activities performed using the one or morecomponents associated with the second network link.
 29. The apparatus ofclaim 24, wherein the first network link and the second network link areassociated with different cell groups configured in a dual connectivitymode.
 30. The apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first network link andthe second network link are associated with different subscriberidentity modules.